Can you trust the numbers in Amazon Web Services?
Amazon Web Services is a provider of cloud computing services, billed by use. Its own help pages give 4 reasons its numbers can look different from what you expect. The first to rule out: As AWS's docs explain, the two views can differ by small amounts for the same period.
Is it broken, or just counted differently?
A number can look wrong because the business changed, or because of how Amazon Web Services counts it. Below is what Amazon Web Services keeps, where its help pages say the numbers can differ, and how to check them yourself.
What does Amazon Web Services keep track of?
AWS keeps a cost and usage view in Cost Explorer where an owner sees what the account has spent.
In Amazon Web Services's own words:
AWS Cost Explorer is a tool that enables you to view and analyze your costs and usage.
Analyzing your costs and usage with AWS Cost Explorer - AWS Cost Management, read 2026-11-12.As AWS's docs say, Cost Explorer and the detailed billing reports draw on one underlying dataset.
In Amazon Web Services's own words:
Cost Explorer uses the same dataset that is used to generate the AWS Cost and Usage Reports and the detailed billing reports.
Analyzing your costs and usage with AWS Cost Explorer - AWS Cost Management, read 2026-11-12.
What can make Amazon Web Services's numbers look wrong?
As AWS's docs explain, the two views can differ by small amounts for the same period.
In Amazon Web Services's own words:
As a result, your billing data and Cost Explorer data might vary due to rounding.
Knowing the differences between Billing and Cost Explorer data - AWS Billing, read 2026-11-12.After a refund, the Bills page and Cost Explorer can show different totals, as AWS's docs say.
In Amazon Web Services's own words:
The billing data on the Bills page (for example, in the Charges by service tab) excludes refunds, while Cost Explorer data includes refunds.
Knowing the differences between Billing and Cost Explorer data - AWS Billing, read 2026-11-12.AWS's docs say the billing data and Cost Explorer data are each refreshed at least once a day, so a month to date figure may not yet include the latest charges.
In Amazon Web Services's own words:
Your billing data and Cost Explorer data are refreshed at least once per day.
Knowing the differences between Billing and Cost Explorer data - AWS Billing, read 2026-11-12.AWS's docs note that the billing view is cash based, so it can differ from an amortized view of the same costs.
In Amazon Web Services's own words:
Billing data is always presented on a cash basis.
Knowing the differences between Billing and Cost Explorer data - AWS Billing, read 2026-11-12.
How do I check Amazon Web Services's numbers myself?
An owner can download the figures and add them up line by line, as AWS's docs describe.
In Amazon Web Services's own words:
For a comprehensive review of the data, you can download it into a comma-separated value (CSV) file.
Analyzing your costs and usage with AWS Cost Explorer - AWS Cost Management, read 2026-11-12.Switching to amortized costs in Cost Explorer, as AWS's docs say, helps explain a gap against the cash-basis billing view.
In Amazon Web Services's own words:
In contrast, you can use Cost Explorer data to view amortized costs.
Knowing the differences between Billing and Cost Explorer data - AWS Billing, read 2026-11-12.
How does Amazon Web Services work with Feder?
Connect Amazon Web Services to Feder and it joins your Money apps. Feder only reads. It never changes anything in Amazon Web Services.
When you connect Amazon Web Services, Feder checks the connection straight away and shows Connected only when that check passes. If a reading cannot be taken later, Feder shows it as not read, never as zero.
Other apps that feed Money
- Striperevenue
- PayPalrevenue
- WooCommercerevenue
- Rechargesubscription revenue
- Zohoinvoiced
- Wave Accountinginvoiced
Where do these answers come from?
Everything this page says about Amazon Web Services comes from Amazon Web Services's own pages, quoted above with the date we read them. Last reviewed 2026-11-12. We read them again by 2027-11-12. If one changes, this page changes or comes down.
Know the day a number breaks, not the month after.
Some numbers are too quiet to judge daily, such as a form filled in a few times a week. Until there is enough of your own history to judge a change, Feder says it is still learning and scores nothing, rather than guessing.